[Derek Branning and brother Max, who was wrongly rumoured to be Derek's murderer]

The bookmakers, rather than reimbursing, did pay out for bets on Derek being his own killer, with odds for that option going from 33/1 in October to 5/2 by the time the show started.

A spokesman for William Hill, Joe Crilly, said: "Derek had enough enemies to justify his murder but it seemed that nature did everyone a favour. Years of tough living took their toll and so we paid out on him and refunded on everyone else."